i've been reading tales of old, the legends and the myths
by Revantio
Summary: Ash Ketchum, the Fate's beloved Chosen One, was born with a frail body. Suffice to say, Arceus is NOT happy. / very short drabble series featuring Dialga 'I Totally Did Not Sign Up for This Shit,' Pikachu who constantly yells FIGHT ME, and everyone freaking out over our beloved Ash. [First fanfic on Pokemon, and i'm new to the fandom in general, correction on lore appreciated!]
1. Prologue

At the day of The Chosen One's birth, the world is overjoyed. The sun shone brighter, yet the rays are warm instead of stinging hot, the wind is calming and the flowers blooms. The pokemon, in turn of the world's apparent good mood, are happy and content.

For the world followed the will of Arceus, and the Pokemon Deity is smiling as it observe The Chosen One.

(And then Arceus watched how the Chosen One, still a babe, was admitted to Emergency Room, flurry of Doctors yelling orders before an oxygen mask was put on his face along with cables on his small body; the small Chosen One was encased in a different room, encased with glass.

" _... Life expectancy less than ten years."_

" _Forget ten years, if we can't handle this infection—" )_

.

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The day Ash Ketchum was born, right on the mid-day of bright, happy day, the sun was suddenly encased with gray clouds and a storm _violently_ reigns over.

On the days to come, many professors would discuss this very abrupt, miraculous change, involving theories aorund Legenday Pokemons or simply natural disasters. They never found the definite answer though, dancing around various records of history and Legendaries, and eventually called it a day; they recorded the day as anomaly.

(Later, a very bewildered Zapdos would return to its nest looking at the various offerings littered around his island, but it supposes, it kinda deserves all of those after what has happened)


	2. Dialga

Dialga was not having a good day.

Its day started normally enough; just prancing around doing nothing, occasionally met Suicune or Entei and they would take a bit before Dialga wound go and fly around somewhere. It was having a nice nap since the day is especially good—Arceus is in a good mood it seems—before suddenly he was woken up by the voice of God itself yelling to every Legendaries it could reach (which is everyone really) to _COME TO ME_ _ **RIGHT NOW**_ _OR I_ _ **WILL**_ _TURN ALL OF YOU TO_ _ **SMITHEREENS**_.

...Apparently, Arceus's good mood did not last.  
So, in turn, Dialga was not having a good day. But did it stop there? No, no, Dialga is not finished.

Dialga knew that, seeing Arceus pacing in front of them made them _very_ nervous. The only one who managed to look impeccable is of course the Lady Ho-oh, and if the situation is not so dire then Dialga would have laughed at Darkrai who inched closer to Ho-oh for cover. If only.

It listened half-sleepily to Arceus ranting about some human called The Chosen One, who destined to save the Legendaries (as if) and the world, and _yada yada yada_ how the Chosen One turns out to be not so Chosen after all with a frail body as babe and how he's going to die soon and how they had to do something(s) to save the human. More than half of the room nodded in agreement, few muttering 'i see, i see,' including Moltres the dunderhead itself. Honestly, Dialga did not _see_ , but moving on.

See, Dialga was half-way hidden behind Latios, Latias, Articuno, and Zapdos, so it was well about to doze off thinking it had no use on some human at all (Arceus is too focused to Lady Ho-oh's idea to notice or it simply doesn't care, at this point) when suddenly, Palkia, _that bitch_ , spoke up.

"Why don't we assign Dialga to the boy, then? He could control time, so every time the human is sick or dying he could just reverse the time to _before_ it happened."

AND before Dialga could even think of an answer to turn that very logical trap upside down, Xerneas spoke up, "I agree. I would like to propose myself as the boy's Guardian, but i can't do much with my power. When they boy died, however, perhaps.. that's a different story."

Dialga would have clawed and tore Palkia's smirking face right there and then if not for the whole Council of Legendaries to suddenly turn and look at its being. Arceus itself stepped forward and its eyes pierced Dialga's being, forced it to stood tall.

"Any objections?"

Of course there aren't, Dialga curses in its mind. _We all want this to end quickly and i'm apparently the sacrifice_!

"Dialga?"

It's not like Dialga could say no in front of Arceus and a horde of impatient Lagendaries. Bitterly, the said pokemon nodded. "... I accept."

"Then it's decided. Dialga shall guide and watch the Chosen One until his Fate is fulfilled. Other Legendaries would give their blessing for the Chosen One's smooth success. Meeting adjourned."

So, there it is; again, Dialga is not having a good day. Being forced to have a human as a bonded with reason for saving the world is _total bullshit_. But then, Dialga is not about to fight every Legendaries in this Council so it digress.

And it's just a human baby, it's not like Dialga being bonded then it should be always by the boy's side. Dialga could just wait and watch from afar, offering help if needed. Yep. It's _totally_ an easy job.

.

.

.

(Later, much, _much_ later, Dialga (through the Chosen One's frail body) would look at various pokemon fighting each other with a giant robot and a couple of idiot humans with hideous clothes branded with 'R' and thinks, for the _hundredth_ time, that it totally did _not_ sign up for this shit.)


	3. Ash

Ash Ketchum's earliest memory is that of his beloved mother.  
And then of white walls of hospital room.

When he was four years old, he clutched his mother's hand tightly as he looked at other children playing on the park. He asked then, with slightly trembling voice, are they alright, playing outside like that? Won't they be sick? Shouldn't they stay at home like how he is?

His mother had looked at him with.. this _weird_ look on her face, before she replied that no, they don't have to stay at home like himself. Yes, it's okay for them to play with dirt (Ash scrunched up his nose, and Delia chuckled at his son's mildly disgusted expression) and to run around with pokemons. It's okay to jump and play under the stinging afternoon sun because it wouldn't hurt their skin.

And little four years old Ash's answer was a simple,

"Oh."

(But Ash wanted to be able to play like that, too. He wanted to bask under the sun and running around with pokemons, too. They look like they are having fun and Ash wanted to join them.)

"Do you want to play with them, Ash?"

Ash looked at his mother then, _really_ looked, and sure enough mom's face is looking weird again, like how she looked at Ash every time he's on hospital's bed. Like her eyes are about to leak again.

"If momma doesn't want me to, then i won't." His small hand went to pat his mother's hand, like how his mom used to pat his head.

And Ash is entirely too happy to be hugged by his mother to think about other children playing and laughing under the sun.

.

.

.

When Ash dreams, he dreams of a park full of pokemons; of a land covered with lustrous green with flowers bloom yet _nothing_ could hurt him. Where no flowers or dust would hurt his nose or his chest, where he could roll and sleep on the grass without worrying about his bare skin. It's a beautiful dream, where he would play with various pokemon like how Professor Oak said, and he will be able to play forever.

In Ash's dreams, he has a Guardian. Ash thought he's an Angel by how big he is and how his body is blue like the sky and sea. And mom always said that an angel always watch him, like how he sat between grasses and simply watching Ash playing around but,

"Are you an Angel?"

"No, kid. I'm a Pokemon."

That's even cooler!

"Really? Professor Oak never told me about you before..."

"Professor Oak doesn't know everything."

Little five years old folded his arms, looking at the blue pokemon with a raised brow (he's imitating how Doctor Maria would look at the nurses if they do something she doesn't like, and Ash doesn't like how this pokemon talk bad about Professor Oak), "and _you_ know everything?"

"Sure i do."

"Liar."

The pokemon rolled his eyes then, and when he answered he looked offended, "I am Dialga, the Lord of Time. I have no reason to lie, kid."

"Liar! Pokemon can't talk with humans!"

"Normal pokemon can't, but i'm a Legendary. That means i'm _special_."

Since Ash doesn't know what that L word means, he should give this angel the be-benefit of doubt. That's what Professor Oak said!

.

.

"But Professor Oak said Legendary pokemons are nearly impossible to see," Ash said, sitting down in front of the huge Legendary, "so why are you here?"

There's a sound coming from Dialga—Ash started to understand it's Dialga's version of snort, "Because i need to."

"But why do you _need_ to be in _my_ dreams?"

"You are just that special, little one."

And with that, Dialga rests his head on his front feet and closes his eyes. Discussion closed. Leaving Ash to remember how his mother and doctors used to say that he's a special case. Whatever that means—maybe Dialga means the same? Shrugging, Ash decided that he wanted to sleep too and leaned to Dialga's body, falling asleep shortly after.

.

.

The reason on why Dialga was in his dreams become clear when Ash was eight years old.

After his lesson with Professor Oak, Ash was left alone in Professor's laboratory. His mother was away, shopping, and thus he was left with the Professor. Normally, Gary would be there to tease Ash and 'guard' him at the same time, but Professor Oak made Gary run an errand for him. After muttering something about the generator, Professor Oak exited the lab too, leaving Ash completely alone.

Normally, this won't be a problem, because Ash could sit still on the sofa until the Professor is back, but Professor's pidgey was about to fly out.

He knew the pidgey's wing was still broken, that's the reason why the pidgey was in this lab, and it would only hurt the pidgey more if Ash did not stop the bird pokemon. So, after some struggle and few claw marks, Ash managed to convince the pidgey to be back on his (her?) little cage.

Ash returned to his chair, fully intended to open the encyclopedia of water pokemon again to review his lesson with Professor Oak, but then suddenly he couldn't breath. It might be his asthma, Ash thinks, so all he had to do was to stay calm and regulate his breathing.

...but then he started to cough until his chest and throat hurts and there's blood on his hands he thinks, _oh no_. It's hard for him to breath let alone to find an adult. There's no one nearby. Not even Gary to run to find a nearby adult. No one but the frantic small pidgey who jumped up and down in his cage, his cage shook as it tried to ram the door and the cage swings to where Ash sat.

There are tears in his eyes and his vision blurs and he thinks of his mother, what would she say if he sleeps here? And then—

" _What did you do this time_?"

It was his voice but not his voice. Ash was in his body but at the same time _not_ , someone is controlling his body and Ash was pushed back, to watch and unable to move his body. Ash blinked, and suddenly Ash-not-Ash is sitting down with the encyclopedia of water pokemon in his lap, no blood on his clothes or the book.

" _Now go find that Professor of yours_." His own voice sounded so bored and tired, and Ash realized that it's _Dialga_.

 _It's Dialga_ , then Ash blinked, and this time he could feel his eyelids blink and those small cuts on his hands felt really stings, and his breathing has become short. Ash gets up, and quickly walked out to look for Professor Oak.

Ash found the Professor in the hallway, and good timing too, because as soon as "Professor—!" left his mouth, Ash began hyperventilating.

(Even though he is used to being admitted to the hospital, but he doesn't really like the smell of antiseptic or the plain white of the emergency room. But at least Dialga lets Ash hug him in his dreams.

To reverse back time like that, Ash's guardian pokemon is so cool!)

.

.

.

.

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"You _what_?"

"I'm going to start my Pokemon Journey. Tomorrow."

Thirteen years old Ash Ketchum stared at Dialga, and the Legendary stared back at his human bonded.  
( _Dear Arceus Dialga could even hear the capital letters on those words_.)

"In case you forget, you are—"

"—sickly, fragile, yes, i _know_. I'm not going to enter Pokemon League or anything, i just want to travel and see everything i could. I know my limits, Dialga."

At this point Ash could decipher that Dialga is looking at him with his long suffering 'you are being an idiot and i'm very fed up with your shit but i care for you' look. And here comes the sassy reply.

"Bold of you to say that when you jumped to protect an electric type pokemon who obviously capable in handling—"

"That's just one time!"

"—electric shock of malfunctioning television."

"I never did something like that again, Pikachu is just _special_."

"You also said that on the Magikarp Incident."

"I thought we both promised to not talk about that incident again!"

Okay Ash, calm down. Don't let Dialga get to you. Yes, this is just his dream—his and Dialga's way of connection, a sanctuary where their mind bonds, whatever the name. But it still connects to his body and remembering how his body could get a fever only because of stress.. well, best to take it slow.

Ash shifted his weight from one foot to another then, feeling suddenly nervous. Dialga, all this time, had agreed with his mother to guard him, but he never did say how long is he going to stay. If Ash started his journey...

"You will.. still watch me, right?"

( _Oh this kid_ , Dialga thinks. First he grow on him like a mold and now he's being such a sap. How could Dialga refuse Ash if his bonded is so nervous and jittery even in their shared dream? This safe haven?)

"I am _your_ bonded, Ash."

Ash blinked, then a wide smile broke on thirteen years old's face as he beamed, before he wrapped his hands around Dialga's neck to hug the Legendary tightly. "I'll be counting on you, Dialga. We will have so much fun together with Pikachu!"

His journey is finally going to start! Just watch Gary, because Ash is totally going to _catch them all_!


End file.
